Breathe
by QuelleFablake
Summary: Leaving is just as hard as being left behind. Warning: deals with serious illness, possible character death
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. So I kinda hit a wall with Not Like Your Demons temporarily. For the meantime, do take some time to read another one of my works. It would be considerably shorter, and I hope writing it would cure my writer's block.**

/

Rachel Berry was a little singing pirate. Or at least, today, she was. Others might see the swing in front of her as nothing more than a mere swing, but a pirate cannot be fooled. It was a ship, of course, as small as it may be. In fact, it would reveal itself as a _singing_ ship, if only you leaned closely. It contained the most precious things in this world.

From a bench not too far away, a texting teenager laughed at something she read. She was happy, by the looks of it, but Rachel snorted derisively. She couldn't understand how some adults can be so boring. They _severely_ lacked imagination, which she considered unthinkable. How could this be possible? Adults should be the ones with the most elaborate imaginations, because they had been in this world longer and thus had time to see and experience more things. But then, adults had always been lame and the kids have forever carried the burden of dealing with them. Oh, well. Rachel closed her eyes and made a silent promise to not be like most adults when she grows up.

Rachel was about to raise the ship's sail and expose the magic harp hiding beneath it (in the real world she was merely pulling at the swing) when a teeny cough from behind stopped her. Intrigued by this new development in her usually silent daily routine, she turned around, and was a little shocked to see _the_ pretty pale girl with blonde hair. _The_, because she had seen her before. A lot of times, even.

She was willowy, with petite features, and seemed to be around the same age as Rachel (six), except she was considerably taller. Although the little self-confessed diva always saw her here at the hospital, she was quite taken aback by the idea that the other girl would actually approach her. She seemed pristine (which was a word Rachel knew, because she had the vocabulary of a Goddess, her schoolmates said), out-of-this-world even. Like a princess. Or an angel. Just ethereal.

Rachel would usually spot the pretty blonde sitting on the bench or waiting outside a doctor's office. Rachel had always noticed her, of course, since there weren't a lot of kids here. Most of the hospital goers were old or ancient.

Always, from afar, Rachel would secretly admire the way she seemed to glow differently from everyone. In fact, Rachel had never approached her before for fear that the girl would talk differently and that they wouldn't understand each other.

Outside, she seemed even more striking than usual. But Rachel didn't mind; not at all.

"Hi," the little girl greeted, curious eyes studying Rachel's smaller form. Rachel supposed she should have been offended by the girl's focused stare, but she oddly wasn't.

_So, she speaks the same way other people do,_ Rachel thought. _How curious._

"Uhm, I saw you playing and I just got, uhm, curious about what you were doing," explained the little girl. She seemed shy.

"Oh," Rachel exclaimed, coming out of her temporary daze. "It'd be a pleasure to speak to you about my world. I'm Rachel," she said, extending a hand to the other girl like every courteous little girl (and dazzling pirate) should. "Rachel Berry."

"I'm Q-Quinn Fabray," the pretty girl replied quietly, accepting the hand being offered. A little blush colored her otherwise pale cheeks. Her voice was a little low and breathy, Rachel realized. As an excellent performer at a very young age, Rachel was quite attached to voices. And Quinn's was a voice she could get quite attached to, she thought.

Quinn rose on her toes, trying to see what was behind Rachel. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Rachel grinned widely and hopped aside to show Quinn her little kingdom in the middle of the sea. "I'm playing pirate. A singing pirate," she elaborated, because the "singing" part of the pirate was hugely important.

Quinn looked at Rachel's paraphernalia, then at her, clearly confused.

"Pirate? Like Captain Hook?" she asked, to which Rachel nodded proudly and regally. "Isn't he bad?"

Rachel tsked dramatically and shook her head. This Quinn girl needed to learn a lot about life. "He is. But I'm not. Not all pirates are bad, Quinn."

Quinn pursed her lips and seemed to think about what Rachel had said. "OK," she answered finally, flashing Rachel a cute grin. Rachel noticed that she had a pretty set of teeth for a little kid. "I believe you."

"Do you want to join me?" Rachel offered. "It would be fun to play with someone else for a while." She bypassed telling Quinn that she never had any real friends at all. The cost of being talented and special, she reasoned, even though she knew for a fact that it wasn't the sole cause.

Quinn's eyes immediately lit up for one brilliant moment before she looked down at her feet, playing with them for a while. Then, biting her lower lip gently, she glanced back up at Rachel before hesitantly answering, "S-sure."

Pleased with herself, Rachel offered her a really big smile. She then thought for a while, pondering on Quinn's possible role in her pirate production. Her eyes shone when she thought of one. "You could play my hostage," she offered. "But, remember, I'm keeping you hostage for a good reason, because I'm a good pirate."

Quinn's brows furrowed. She scratched at the back of her neck. "What's the good reason?"

It took a while for Rachel to answer. Good question. She wished she had the answer. "You can't know yet."

"Why?"

"Just because. Pirates don't share all of their secrets."

Quinn looked straight into Rachel's eyes – as if reading the lie in them – and Rachel was immediately hooked. Wow. She was sure she'd never seen eyes that beautiful before. It was like they were sucking her into another dimension.

"Your eyes are pretty," Quinn commented suddenly. It shocked and flattered Rachel, because she was thinking the exact same thing about Quinn. "And OK, I can be your hostage."

Well, that was easier than Rachel had thought.

"Good. Uhmm... Now you're trying to escape because you think I'm keeping you hostage for a bad reason even though I'm not," Rachel reiterated. "You can run around and I'll chase you with my mighty pirate sword."

Quinn's excited face turned hesitant then, to Rachel's surprise.

"But I can't… I mean, I don't want to run," Quinn said, looking down self-consciously.

"Why?"

"Because, uhm, you're alone and you seem like a lonely pirate. I don't want to run from you."

Rachel snorted. "It's OK. It's just a game, Quinn. Not everyone has to, like, have feelings in a game."

"I'm sorry, but, can't you think of something else?" Quinn tried again.

"What's wrong with the one I have thought of? I think it was an excellent scene to portray."

"Yes, it is. Except I'm not allowed to run," Quinn admitted half-heartedly.

Rachel's head bounced back a little in surprise. This girl, as pretty as she was, was kind of weird. "Why?"

Quinn shrugged. "My mama said it's bad for me."

Rachel shook her head, still weirded out. Quinn's mother seemed stupid. But Daddy Leroy told her never to judge anyone so she'd keep that thought to herself. "That's funny. Running isn't bad. My daddy says it's exercise. It's good for your health."

Quinn just shrugged again. "Um, not just running. She said I shouldn't get tired." Her voice seemed a little sad but Rachel was too annoyed to notice. Quinn must have had come from a snobby rich family.

Rachel snorted yet again. "You're no fun."

"I'm s-sorry," Quinn said, looking down sadly. The look on her face made Rachel feel guilty. Maybe Quinn had been told that a lot before. It seemed like it. "It's OK if you don't want to play or talk with me anymore."

"No, it's cool," Rachel said. "I've realized I'm tired of playing pirate anyway." Lie. She wanted to play still, but even more than that, she really didn't want to be alone. Or break Quinn's heart. "Uhm… Are you allowed to sit on the grass?"

Quinn tilted her head and seemed to think about it. "I haven't asked my parents yet, but I guess I'll know when they come out and see me sitting," she said with a naughty little girl grin.

Rachel grinned back and plopped down, the "no fun" thought slipping out of her mind easily.

Quinn followed her lead, laughing softly as her butt touched the grass. "Oh," she exclaimed. "It's softer than I thought."

"Yeah," Rachel replied, proud of herself. She'd known Quinn would love it. She loved sprawling on the grass even if her other dad - Hiram - got mad at her every time she did. He said it wasn't a very girly thing to do. Which was annoying, really, because Rachel didn't really like girly things in the first place.

She looked at her new playmate, who seemed to be enjoying the feel of the grass beneath her with a blissful smile on her face. Her white sundress was getting dirty but she didn't seem to mind. She really was very pretty. And graceful, for a little girl like her. Rachel looked at herself and laughed a little. She, on the other hand, was anything but graceful. They were so different, but Rachel thought she really liked Quinn quite a bit.

"Where are your parents?" she asked.

"Inside. They said they're settling something. I don't know what they mean by that. They wanted to bring me but I insisted on waiting here. I'm sick of being inside," Quinn replied, then turned her little face toward Rachel. She should stop staring at her with those intense eyes, Rachel thought. "Are your parents settling something inside, too?"

"No. Or, I don't know. My dad's a doctor here. I come with him here a lot. I think he's settling something all the time," Rachel said.

Quinn laughed at that before she seemed to think of something and her laughter died down to a sad smile.

"Rachel?"

"Hm?"

"Do you ever make your parents s-sad?" Quinn asked. She started picking on her bracelet.

Rachel didn't know where Quinn got the question or why she would ask that. But she answered her anyway. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. Why do you ask?"

Quinn looked down, looking sadder. "No reason."

Rachel looked at Quinn worriedly. It didn't look like it was nothing. She let out a small frown. She couldn't bear to see someone as pretty as her new friend sad. "How about you? Do you ever make your parents sad?"

Quinn just shrugged again. She didn't answer for a few moments. When she did, her voice sounded terribly guilty. "If I do, I never mean to. But I think they're always sad, because I'm always sick."

"Kids get sick," Rachel reasoned.

"But I do a lot more," Quinn whispered with a bit of frustration in her voice. "I have to be here a lot. And it sucks. But Dr. Bee's really nice."

"Maybe you're just forgetting to drink your vitamins," Rachel offered.

"No I don't. I drink my medicines all the time. Mama makes sure I do," Quinn said. "But I still always hurt...here," she added, placing a palm against her chest. "Sometimes it hurts too much and I just want it all to stop. But mama's always there to hold my hand every time it hurts, and she'd cry and I don't like it when she cries so I pretend that it doesn't hurt much even if it does."

Rachel frowned. She didn't like the idea of her friend getting hurt. "My dad's a good doctor. Maybe he'd know what to do to stop the hurt."

Quinn shrugged. "Papa said my doctor's good, too, but he can't really stop it either, so I don't know." She looked at the hospital's entrance, pursing her lips as she noticed her parents. "There they are," she said, standing up and brushing at her skirt. Rachel followed suit, sans the brushing. "I think we're going home now, Rachel. When are you coming here?"

"Only on Saturdays and Sundays. I go with dad when I have no school. I see you around here, at times, but this is the first time I talked to you," Rachel said with a smile. Quinn smiled back at her and nodded, seemingly unsurprised by that information. She waved at her parents who started approaching them.

Rachel stared at them in awe. She couldn't help it. They were a good-looking family. Quinn's mother seemed like she had just been crying, though. Rachel knew, because that's how her dads would look after having a fight.

She looked at Quinn, who seemed to notice how sad Mrs. Fabray looked, too. Rachel didn't like the sadness she saw in Quinn's golden eyes, so she took her hand reassuringly. Quinn smiled gratefully at her.

Mrs. Fabray looked at Quinn as she neared, her eyes tearing up again. Mr. Fabray held one of her hands and rubbed her shoulder, although Rachel could tell that his face was full of sorrow as well.

Quinn's father noticed Rachel first and smiled at her. They didn't seem to mind that Quinn had just sat on the grass, which was good.

Quinn went on to hug her mother sweetly. "Don't be sad, please, mama," she whispered. Mrs. Fabray nodded, although Rachel saw her purse her lips real hard. What was wrong?

"Is this your friend here, Quinnie?" Mr. Fabray asked. Quinn broke from the hug and nodded. Judy tried to inconspicuously wipe her tears and regarded Rachel with a sad but welcoming smile. "It would be nice to get to know a friend. Introduce us to her, then."

"Mama, Papa, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is Mama Judy and Papa Russel," Quinn said.

Both adults shook Rachel's hand, and although she was slightly weirded out by it, Rachel responded courteously. Her hands were quite dirty and while Russel seemed not to mind, Judy discreetly wiped her palms on her skirt.

"We have to go home now, sweetheart," Judy told Quinn. "You can rest better there."

Quinn nodded and turned to Rachel. "Sorry, we have to go, Rachel. I really wish I could stay. So, see you around?"

"Of course." Rachel grinned. She didn't want to say goodbye yet but she knew she couldn't keep Quinn, either.

She watched as a fancy looking vehicle stopped at the driveway in front of them. Quinn grinned sadly and hugged Rachel tight before taking her parents' hands. Together, the Fabray adults lead her to the car and helped buckle her in.

Boring adults, Rachel thought glumly.

Rachel's last thought as she watched Quinn poke practically half of her body out the window to wave goodbye while the car sped away was that she was excited to see her new friend again.

/

**Just decided I'd be continuing this story. But NLYD would still be my priority so for those who had been patiently waiting for an update, thanks for being patient and don't worry.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The second time Rachel had the pleasure to talk to Quinn was at the Lima Public Plaza. She was playing and running around with a bunch of other kids – Finn Hudson (tall body, small brains), Sam Evans (big lips, small brains), Noah Puckerman (big arms, small brains) and Lauren Zizes (big body, small brains). They were role-playing and Rachel was the monster chasing them around for blood and brains (ironic, she thought) – again.

She was walking away from them, who told her to rest for a while for the reason that they were playing another game that needed only four characters. Rachel pouted at first, and wanted to tell them she can be a singing tree because that role was important, too – but immediately decided that arguing with them wouldn't do. They're all too stupid to appreciate her ideas anyway.

Well, to continue, she was walking away from them, wearing a dark blue dress and stockinged mary janes when she spotted her – Quinn Fabray – and Rachel's slightly grumpy face immediately formed a gleeful smile.

The little blonde was wearing a light blue dress and sitting contentedly on the grass not far away. Her feet were hidden under her skirt and she was holding a stuffed lamb in one hand and a stuffed goat in another, her full attention on them so she didn't notice Rachel first. It looked like she was urging both toys to talk to each other. Rachel hadn't seen her for three weeks now – not that she's counting – and her heart burst with joy at the sight of the other girl.

"Quinn," she exclaimed excitedly, running toward her blonde friend. The other girl stopped playing and her face lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw Rachel approaching. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Her dads liked the word "fancy", and Rachel did, too. Just because it sounded fancy. Hehe.

"Hi Rachel! Nice meeting you again, too," Quinn said, giggling softly when Rachel sat down next to her. "I saw you earlier with your friends," she added.

Rachel snapped her head towards the other girl, outwardly surprised. "Really? Why didn't you call me?"

Quinn shrugged. "You were having fun and you seemed so happy running around," she replied, eyes on the stuffed toys she was holding. "I didn't want to disturb you."

Rachel forced back a snort. As if Quinn would ever be a disturbance as far as she was concerned.

"You should have called me earlier. I wouldn't have complained," Rachel said honestly. "I was having fun there, but I'm happier now with you," she added, smiling broadly at Quinn and waiting for her bashful friend to look back at her.

And Quinn did, smiling as well, but shyly. "Me, too," she replied. "I'm really happy that you're here now."

Rachel wondered how someone like Quinn can be so shy. If she's as pretty as her, she probably wouldn't even know what shy means.

"I know," Rachel said, making Quinn giggle again. "Kidding. Are you alone here?"

Quinn shook her head. "No. Mama and papa are there," she said, pointing at a nearby park table. Judy and Russel were talking to a man who wasn't familiar to any of them. He had weird, dry hair and equally weird beard. Rachel wondered if he had ever seen a razor. She can give him one of her dads'.

"Who is he?" Rachel asked, even if she really didn't care.

"I don't know. Mr. Jones or something," Quinn said, shrugging slightly. "Work thing. I thought he was a scientist. I asked mama in front of him if he is because of his hair. I think I asked a little too loud because she scolded me lightly."

Rachel giggled and nodded. "Yeah. He does look like one. My parents are at a nearby salon. They were having a haircut. I didn't like the smell inside so I sneaked out," she said. "They'll find me anyway."

"I kind of sneaked away, too," Quinn said proudly, even if she only sneaked for maybe 30 meters away.

Rachel grinned at her. As she liked to say, boring adults. "Since you don't know what your parents are doing, may I know what _you_ were doing?" she asked Quinn.

Quinn grinned back and looked at her stuffed friends. She seemed excited to tell Rachel her story. "Mr. Goat is angry at Mr. Lamb. They won't talk to each other. I'm trying to make them friends again."

Rachel nodded. Oh. Now, she was curious. "Why? What did Mr. Lamb do?"

"They're neighbors," Quinn explained. "And were friends. But one hot night Mr. Lamb got drunk and threw stones at Mr. Goat's house for no reason at all. He completely missed the window but hit Mr. Goat who was standing nearby, because, you know, it was hot and he chose to go out of the house."

"Wow. That's some story. How did you think of that?"

"No reason," Quinn replied, shrugging a little. Rachel can tell that there's something behind that though, with the way Quinn's face saddened a bit.

But she didn't want the blonde girl sad - she really didn't - so she just said, "Can I join you? I can voice Mr. Goat. My voice is awesome."

Quinn's smile after that statement said it all.

/

They were having so much fun, until distraction came about 15 minutes later, in the form of one Finn Hudson.

They were in the middle of settling their differences, with Mr. Lamb already begging on his four knees because Mr. Goat refused to accept his apologies (Rachel's not that easy to get, mind that) when he came and stopped about three meters away from them.

"Hey Rachel. Come play with us. We need somebody to pretend to be a ghost. A cute, talented ghost," Finn called, displaying his trademark one-sided smirk as he gestured at where the other kids are sitting in the distance. Rachel didn't like that smirk; she didn't understand why other kids found it cute. "You're the best at doing that."

The little brunette glanced at her other friends, then at Quinn who looked a little nervous now, and lastly back at Finn who was still smirking, as she thought things out. She really liked running around and she knew she really should accept it since she rarely got invited in a game.

But she was not stupid (like Finn) and knew that playing a ghost would entail everyone else running, and she can't ask Quinn to play with them if that's the case. Also, she was having more fun with Quinn even if they were just sitting down, so she shook her head at the tall boy.

"I can't join you now. Next time, maybe."

Finn's smirk was replaced by a betrayed frown. "But we don't have anyone else to play ghost."

"I'm certain Sam can; he's paler than I am. Quinn has no company," Rachel said.

Finn's jaw clenched, staring momentarily at Quinn then back at Rachel. He didn't like having competition, but what he hated even more was losing. "Why are you choosing her? You won't enjoy being with her. All she does here is sit and talk to her stuffed friends or animals," Finn said.

Rachel's anger rose at that but nothing can beat the anger she felt at Finn's next words.

"Besides, she's going to die anyway," Finn continued.

She heard Quinn's breath hitch beside her and saw how her head bow down when Rachel confusedly stared at her. Quinn's usually pale cheeks and nose reddened as she started to cry softly. Extremely angry at seeing her nice, gentle friend feeling bad, Rachel glared at Finn, little fists tightening by her sides. How dare he say that? That was unforgivably mean!

Rachel stood up so the stupid boy would look less intimidating. But Finn was very tall for his age while Rachel was the opposite, so her standing up didn't really make much difference.

Still, size pushed aside, she stood up to him. "She's not! You're lying and an idiot. Quinn's just a little girl and little girls don't die! Only old people do! Take back what you said now! That was absolutely appalling," Rachel yelled back.

But Finn seemed just as sure as Rachel was, a curious thing as he was rarely definite about things. "I won't. I heard my mother say it and my mother doesn't lie! She's going to die," he said, before turning to Quinn. "Why don't you tell her? Your mother must have told you that, too, right?"

Rachel glanced at Quinn, who still had her head down. She was biting nervously at her fingernails now.

"Just go away, Finn. I don't want you infecting us with your idiocy."

Finn's forehead scrunched in confusion. "I don't understand what you said."

Rachel snorted derisively. "I said you're stupid and we don't want to be like you."

Finn's face reddened in anger. For such a mean kid, he was so sensitive, Rachel thought. She knew he wanted to kick a trash can again but not one was in sight.

"Fine," he said. "We don't really want to play with you anyway. Enjoy your time with the girl who's going to die," he taunted, before turning to Quinn. "You're no fun and sucking everyone else's. I hope you'd just die now so Rachel can play with us again."

That seemed to have hurt Quinn so much because she picked her toys up and ran away despite that being bad for her as she always said. Rachel knew she was crying.

Four seconds later, a crying Finn Hudson, who received a quick punch to the face, was running over to her friends, wailing for a backup. Noah Puckerman just called him a sissy and asked Sam and Lauren to go with him to play.

/

Rachel knew Quinn couldn't go far, especially since she wasn't really allowed to run. She lost sight of her because she was too consumed by her anger earlier. Her knuckle still hurt a little after colliding with that stupid boy's nose but she didn't even care. From now on, she will never speak to him.

"Quinn," Rachel called for the third time as she walked closer to the cluster of pine trees near the swings. When she heard a whimper, she ran the last few steps.

She saw Quinn slightly hunched over herself under a pine tree. She didn't look up when Rachel was beside her and softly called her name. Brows furrowed, Rachel crouched down next to her friend. She noticed that Quinn was gripping at her chest, eyes closed in what was obviously pain, and panting. There were tear tracks on her cheeks,

"Are you OK?" she asked concernedly. "Don't feel bad, please. Finn is an idiot. I don't believe anything he says, so you have no reason to either."

Quinn, who was still grasping her chest with her right hand and panting uneasily, gestured at Rachel to take it easy using her left one. "It's OK, Rachel. This – this happens a lot," she said breathily. "It was – it was my fault. I ran."

Rachel rubbed her friend's back, worry etched all over her face. "Do you need me to call your parents?"

Quinn's face turned painfully conflicted as she stared at Rachel unsurely, biting her lower lip. She chanced to take a quick peek at her parents – who were farther away now – then back at Rachel, the guilt on her face getting to Rachel immediately.

"I'll – I'll be OK."

Rachel stole a glance at the direction of Quinn's parents. Both Fabrays were laughing at something the other man said. No wonder Quinn didn't want to tell them she's in pain again. She wondered, if she should though, so they'd help Quinn stop hurting.

"R-Rach?"

Rachel took her eyes from Russel and Judy as she worriedly returned her gaze at a still hurting Quinn.

"What is it? Do you need anything?" she asked gently.

Quinn shook her head then looked straight at Rachel's eyes with those piercing hazel greens. They're pained, but still piercing. "Do you – do you mean what you said?"

Rachel was confused but she put a comforting hand on Quinn's arm. "Which one?"

Quinn winced and whimpered as a particularly painful attack seemed to strike her. The grip on her chest tightened. Rachel, now more scared than ever, moved to run towards the older Fabrays again, but the blonde held her wrist back in a tight grip. Quinn pierced Rachel with those eyes again when the latter turned her head, swallowed laboriously and continued, "That only – that only old people die?"

Rachel, though with seeing Quinn like this wasn't so sure now, nodded her head. Finn couldn't be right. Quinn – pretty, gentle, nice Quinn – can't be dying. She's just a little girl. "Y-yes," she said. "I don't want you to die."

Quinn whimpered again but managed to smile at Rachel. She nodded believingly, then pulled the brunette's hand, the one she was already grasping, and replaced her own against her chest with Rachel's. The little brunette was a tiny bit surprised by Quinn's actions.

"Listen," Quinn only whispered with a tired smile. It was like she was fond of letting others hear her heartbeat.

Rachel nodded and listened to the thumping of Quinn's heart, wide eyes becoming wider as she felt the unusual rhythm. "It's beating really fast," she said, torn between being awed and being worried. "It's a lot faster than mine," she added as she took her palm away half-heartedly, then tightly squeezing her hands together. She liked feeling Quinn's heartbeat – it was indeed oddly fast, but so relaxing for odder reasons. She thought Quinn felt the comforting feeling when Rachel listened to her heartbeat too, because she looked at Rachel with a slightly stunned but calmed look.

"Yeah. It's faster – it's faster than mama's and papa's and Frannie's, too," Quinn told her. "Can I listen," she paused and wheezed, "to yours?"

"Of course," Rachel said.

Quinn put her other hand over where she thought Rachel's heart was. Again, Rachel felt some odd but wonderful sense of peace when Quinn's palm connected with her chest. It was like they were in some ways…one, Rachel thought. It was a weird thought, but Rachel cannot think of another way to describe what she felt. Maybe she's too young to understand but she felt exceedingly and irreversibly connected with Quinn.

A quiet moment between them ensued for a while as Quinn felt their heartbeats with both hands, the two girls' awed eyes not disconnecting for even a beat.

"Oh my puppy! I think mine's slowing down," Quinn whispered after a minute, her face totally awed. Rachel can see how her panting lessened. "I think it's trying to copy yours. This never happened before." A few more seconds later, she took Rachel's hand and put it against her chest once more. "Listen."

Rachel did, and was equally awed. She let her hand stay there for at least a minute because she was that impressed. She then used her other hand to feel her own heartbeat. It was now thumping at synch with Quinn's.

"Wow."

Quinn only smiled sweetly at her. "It's like my heart is friends with your heart," she said.

"Yeah," Rachel said, uncharacteristically losing all sane words to say.

Though she seemed hurting still and her breathing quite labored though less than earlier, Quinn was looking at Rachel like the brunette's some angel sent from above. "It's like magic. You are magic, Rachel."

Rachel nodded, smiling timidly now. She thought that Quinn was magic too. A miracle, perhaps. She wondered why she was feeling too shy to speak now. Really, everything about this was leaving her overwhelmed.

"Together forever," Quinn asked.

"Together forever," Rachel answered.

As Quinn moved forward to hug Rachel, their hearts close again, all Rachel can think of is that she wants nothing else in life – not even Broadway – more than that.

**/**

**A.N. So there's Chapter 2 folks. More to come. Please read and review. Your words have always been so inspiring.**

**/**

**A.N. 2. Inspired by the amazing Astarpen's stories, I was thinking about writing a triplet Fabray fic. But since I can't write and don't know Charlie as well as she does, I was thinking about writing Quinn and two other characters Dianna played – Belle Blake and Sarah Hart (with a touch of Di) as triplets. I think I haven't seen a story like that here. Maybe after I'm done with this fic. This will only be 9 or 10 chapters after all. I'll probably write it alongside NLYD once this is done. I have a not-so-clear-yet-but-getting-there picture of their personalities and how they were separated and how they will meet again. I will be following their backgrounds sans the whole alien boyfriend thing for Sarah, of course. Hehe. It will still be Faberry. Then Sarah-Sam. I have to think of who to pair Belle with. Maybe Tina? What do you guys think? Kindly comment or PM me for suggestions/objections/recommendations. I would really, really, really, really, really, really appreciate it.**


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